What Friends are For
by Mekina
Summary: "Rogue, what do you REALLY want?" "Ah.. Ah want tah be normal, tah be a normal mutant, Ah guess."


This is a one-shot that is basically getting my Rogue-Kitty friendship craving out of the way. I really wished they showed more in the series, but here it is. Just a conversation between friends.

I don't own x-men :(

XxXxX

"Rogue, what do you REALLY want?"

"Ah… Ah honestly don't know, Kit. Ah want tah be normal, but Ah don't want tah lose bein' a mutant, eithah. I love yah guys, though I know Ah don't always show it. Ah want to be a mutant with normal powers. Powers that Ah can still live a normal lahfe with."

Kitty stared at her friend. It was one of those nights where neither of them could sleep. Rogue because of her nightmares and Kitty because she just didn't want to. It was funny how through the years the two had become much closer than Kitty would have ever expected. Rogue wasn't AS Goth as she used to be, and Kitty and somehow managed to calm down a bit when she wasn't surrounded by so many people. She guessed part of it was due to being a X-man. There were things that you saw that never go away. All of it sticks with you.

"Kitty, I know that Ah'm special. Ah know I should be grateful that Ah even have the x-gene, and Ah am, don't get me wrong, but another part of me wishes Ah didn't have to hide. Ah wonder how things would be different, even between Remy an me."

Kitty laughed. "Somehow, I think he would have STILL found a reason to chase you. The two of you have this weird chemistry you just won't admit to."

"We do not! If Ah had different powers I would have just been anothah conquest tah him. He would have gotten tired of me and left a long tahme ago. I'm the forbidden fruit to thaht nut job."

"Rogue!" Kitty laughed, having to cover her own mouth to keep from waking up the whole mansion. "First off, Remy didn't, like, join the x-men for you, he joined because he actually wanted to! Also, haven't you noticed the way he looks at you? It's not lust! Maybe it was at first; maybe you were just the forbidden fruit to him, but not anymore! You know, if you gave him a chance you may find he's actually just a big teddy bear!"

"Oh? And who told yah this? You're tin man? He would say anything to get the topic off'a you two!" Rogue grinned at her friend. The mansion knew that Kitty had a thing for Piotr, who had joined the x-men the same time Remy had, both making the split from Magneto for 'personal' reasons. Kitty had made it very clear to all the other girls that Piotr as hers. Unfortunately, Piotr hadn't quiet gotten the memo yet. He continually tried to keep his distance from her, stating that she was too young.

"I'm a senior in high school now. In a couple months we'll graduate and then he'll realize that I'm old enough! He's just stubborn! But that has nothing to do with you and Remy! Remy has no qualms about your age!"

"Yeah, but the swamp rat wouldn't stand a chance against Logan," Rogue said. The two girls rolled over in a fit of giggles. The image of how mad Logan would be if he found out Remy and Rogue were dating was enough to set them off. Logan played the protective father role very well. Rogue had never really complained, never having a father herself. She'd only ever admit it to Kitty, but Logan was the main reason she stayed with the X-men all these years. She could always count on him, and it really made a difference in her everyday life.

"Man, and he's one to talk too! I heard Amara say the old man finally grew some manhood and asked Storm on a real date!" Kitty rolled onto her stomach, facing Rogue's bed where the southerner was doing the same.

"It's about tahme! They've been beating around the bush forevah!"

"Yep!" The two girls sighed as the conversation hit a lull. It wasn't uncomfortable, but they both knew that the conversation would go back to an earlier topic and a common one between the girls.

"Has the Professor figured out anything new with your powers yet?"

Rogue sighed. So far at the institute, Rogue still had the most… hindering powers. It was rough. She still accidentally absorbed someone every once in a while. It was always pretty awkward. "Nah. We've mostly been tryin' tah organize the damn psyches in mah head. Forge was tryin' tah help too for a while, but he ended up just tahlkin about computer memory or somethin' the whole tahme. I can hardly understand a word that comes out o' thaht kids mouth, nowadays."

"Man, that sucks. How are you holding up?" Kitty knew her friend wanted a real life someday. Maybe not a picket fence, but something more than shallow almost-touches from friends and family.

"Ah'm fahne. It's nothin' Ah'm not used tah."

"Don't lie to me." The seriousness in Kitty's face shocked Rogue. She knew that as friends Kitty would periodically call her out on stupid stuff, like her grouchiness and other stuff, but she'd never seen Kitty get angry like this. "I know you're not telling me the truth. I know you're not okay. Have you ever thought that if you let someone else in you would be able to cope with things better? I mean, you were doing so well up until that moment! The more you lie to yourself the hard it's going to be for you! Every time you tell yourself that it doesn't matter, you're saying that you might as well give up!"

"Kitty! Ah'm not giving up!

"Then don't act like you are!" After yelling that phrase, Kitty lowered her voice. "Rogue, what do you really want in the future? No lying, no telling me you haven't thought about it. Just the raw truth. I'm tired of playing games. You need to talk to someone and I'm not waiting for you to figure it out yourself. What do you want?"

"Ah… Ah think Ah want a family, but not a normal one. Ah want to stay close to you and Kurt. Ah want… maybe Ah want to stay and work at the institute, but not live in it. Maybe still on the property, but not in it with all the students. Ah… Ah guess I just want to for once in my life go out and fight bad guys, and then come home and… and just be held by someone." Rogue hadn't lifted her eyes from her hands since starting her spiel. She didn't notice that Kitty had come and sat with her on her bed until the girl had her arms around Rogue's covered shoulders.

"Was that so hard?"

Rogue gave a dry laugh at her friend, but still turned and hugged the girl. "Thanks, Kit. Ah actually needed thaht."

"I know. That's what friends are for."


End file.
